Irish Soda Bread

I only think of making Irish soda bread around St. Patrick’s Day but really should do it more often. It's easy to throw together and can be eaten with any meal or just by itself. The reaction of baking soda and buttermilk is what leavens it; no waiting for dough to rise. A traditional Irish...

Beer Bread

My mom made this when I was little and I made it myself through college. It's super simple and tastes great fresh or toasted, and can be served as a side with dinner or topped with butter and jam for breakfast. Makes 1 loaf. Takes 2 hours with cooling. 3 C. flour 1 Tbsp. baking...

Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping

This is a combination of a few of my favorite pumpkin bread recipes. To me it has the perfect blend of spices and texture. It tastes even better the day after it's baked. It freezes well too. 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree 4 large eggs 1 cup vegetable oil ⅔ cup water 3 cups white sugar 2 tsp. vanilla 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda...

Sausage & Pepper Breakfast Strata

This is a very satisfying breakfast dish that can be made the night before you want to eat it. It's very forgiving- you can use whatever type of meat, cheese, or vegetables you want, and it's good right out of the oven or at room temperature. Add a coffee cake, a bowl of fruit, and...

Mom’s Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

My mom made this cake all the time when I was growing up. Lucky me! It's something you (or at least I) can rationalize eating any time of day. The sour cream makes it rich and a little tangy, the cinnamon sugar layers are kind of gritty in a good crunchy way, and of course...

Super Lemon Pound Cake

This is a recipe from Ina Garten. It has lemon zest and juice in the cake, then you poke the baked cake with holes and infuse it with lemon syrup, and then you top the cooled cake with lemon glaze. It may sound like too much lemon but it is definitely not. This makes one...

Smoked Salmon Spread

Mom used to make this back in the 70s/80s for guests and I always loved it. It's a great thing to make ahead of time and can be used as an appetizer with crackers or spread on a bagel or toast. 1 can wild Alaskan sockeye salmon (not pink), drained, skin and bones removed4 oz....

Candied Bacon

You can eat this any time of day. Obviously it's good with breakfast but I think it makes a great appetizer. It really dresses up a plate of cheese & crackers. It's smoky, salty, sweet and spicy. Very addicting. 12 oz. package center-cut bacon (Not thick cut, not regular bacon- has to be "center cut"...

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

I found this while searching for ways to use leftover buttermilk. When I made it, I decided to increase the recipe by a half so it would be tall like restaurant coffee cake. That should have been easy enough but it called for "2 C. flour minus 1/4 C", and I had already put 1...

Cinnamon Crumb Cake

I combined a couple of recipes to come up with this one. It can be made ahead and frozen (without the powdered sugar). Cake 1 stick butter, room temperature1 C. white sugar1 egg1/2 C. sour cream1/2 tsp. vanilla1 C. flour1/2 tsp. baking powder1/8 tsp. salt Topping 1/3 C. flour2 Tbsp. butter, melted1/2 C. brown sugar1...